


Elwood City Lockdown

by SSChrys



Category: Arthur (Cartoon)
Genre: Current Events, Drama, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:01:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23378047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SSChrys/pseuds/SSChrys
Summary: Elwood City is on lockdown thanks to the pandemic. How is everyone handling this new way of living? Each chapter will focus on a different group of characters starting with Arthur and the gang and moving on to showcase other parts of the community.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	1. Arthur and the Gang

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Trigger warning: If you're having anxiety about current events, this is not the piece for you. This is a quick piece to show how Arthur and the rest of Elwood City are reacting to the pandemic. So each chapter is going to focus on a different person/group. I've aged up the main cast to be middle school aged, so Arthur and the gang are now 11. This means that Catherine is 19 and back home from college, and I wanted DW's generation to be a little older (age 7). I'm writing this out of boredom and whatnot, but I really wanted to know how our beloved Arthur characters would react to this mess, so here we go. First up, Arthur and the gang.

Arthur ate his cereal while his dad read the newspaper. David read the newspaper every morning, and he usually listened to the radio too. But Jane put a stop to the radio, and the only way he could read his paper was if he thoroughly sprayed each page with Lysol. Arthur didn't really see the point of that. It made the ink run.

DW was having eggs and toast with Kate. She watched as ink bled onto her dad's fingers, which were now a dark grey. She ate in silence. She'd already called him out on his nasty fingers. He was still working for a friend's catering business, so how could they let him work with such nasty hands.

"Don't you know we're all gonna die from the plague?!" she lamented.

Yeah, she got grounded from that, not that Jane could enforce it. How do you tell your kids "NO SCREENS!" when that was the only way they could do their school work? Even Kate's preschool class had online work. It was ridiculous, and Jane was over her head trying to educate her children AND work from home. It was tax season, after all, and most people were waiting until the last minute. She figured the new deadlines would help some, but that meant no business or too much, there was no in between.

As Jane finished scrubbing the scrambled eggs from the pan, Arthur's tablet beeped loudly. His favorite elementary school teacher, Mr. Ratburn, was doing free Zoom courses for the kids, and Arthur and his buddies got on every day to listen. Each session was two hours long and hit the high points--history, math, language, and science--so Jane couldn't complain, but now that meant their breakfast was cut short.

Arthur grabbed his tablet and hurried upstairs to his room, halfway slamming his door behind him. He sat at his desk, which he had arranged to show his Bionic Bunny and world map posters behind himself, and he entered the Zoom app.

All of his friends were there. Buster was still in his alien pajamas laying in bed, but Francine was dressed in her baseball jersey in her room, headphones on and microphone muted as Catherine snored behind her. Muffy was there too, this time in another room Arthur couldn't quite place.

People were angry with Muffy. In fact, she and Francine were actively fighting. The group was allowed on a watered down version of Facebook for their social media needs, and Muffy had the nerve to tell everyone how bored she was. Francine Went Off on her, calling her a spoiled little princess on a public page. Everyone took this as a sign that it was okay, so Muffy currently had most of the class blocked. Arthur, Buster, George, and Brain stayed out of it, but Muffy called them out:

"My TRUE FRIENDS in all of this craziness are @ArthurTRead, @BBaxter51, @GeorgeL, and @AlanPowersIII! They are the only ones who TRULY UNDERSTAND what it means to be on #lockdown."

Except Buster wasn't on her side. As soon as he got tagged in the post, he called Arthur:

"Hey, why did Muffy tag us? Did I miss something?" Buster asked.

Arthur sighed loudly, "We're the only ones who didn't call her out about being bored in a mansion or something, I don't know. Francine is the one who told me about it. I stayed out of it."

Buster scoffed, "Please, Francine is right. I'm trapped in a BOX, Arthur. I mean, I always thought I wanted to go on a space ship and travel the solar system, but man, was I wrong! I can't go outside, not even for walks. People walk by all times of the day, and Mom says it's dangerous to go out at night. I'm trapped! We've got our windows open for fresh air, but we can't even sit on the front stoop because Mr. Charles reads there all day.

"Muffy has that whole big house to herself," he continued, "and she's got all the best video game systems, all the good movies, and she even has a popcorn and slushie machine! I don't want to hear it, Arthur! She has NO IDEA what this is really like!"

Arthur blushed at the thought of him having that big yard to play in. It was small with DW and Kate both running around too, but it was big enough that he could read old comics in the front yard while Jane gardened and watched the girls out back. They couldn't walk around the block either for the same reason. Jane and Bitzi were taking this very seriously.

Buster groaned, "And Francine has it worse. Did you know Catherine is back home?"

Colleges all over the country shut their doors and kicked everyone out. Catherine was living off-campus in an apartment complex, but they kicked out their college students too. Catherine could go home so she was okay with it, but Arthur heard Rubella Deegan was furious. She had a rental home with some classmates because her childhood home was destroyed in a fire. Her mom and Prunella were living in a tiny one-bedroom apartment in Metropolis and didn't have room for her. They barely had room for themselves. Rubella used her own money to rent that house too, but she couldn't fight it. How can you take someone to court when court is closed?

Sue Ellen appearing in the Zoom class helped Arthur focus on the present again. Sue Ellen was trapped overseas. She and her mom were traveling for a special conference in South America. By the time they reconnected, flights were banned, leaving them stuck in Brazil. Luckily they had a place to stay, but Sue Ellen looked stressed as she sat in her sterile hotel room.

Arthur forced himself to look at another screen. Binky Barnes was watching in his pajamas too casually snacking from a family sized bag of chips. Worry was in his eyes though. His mom was a nurse working at Elwood City General Hospital, the largest in the area. They were a Level 1 trauma center too, plus they had the best ICU in the tri-state area. His mom was on the front lines, so she couldn't come home. It was the only way to make sure she wouldn't bring the disease home to Binky, Mei-Lin, and their dad. So she was living with some other nurses and doctors downtown.

Arthur felt sad as he looked to Brain, who was dressed in his usual sweater with a pocket protector. He was in his room working on something. He didn't post much on social media, but that was because he was working hard on projects. He had plenty of time on his hands now that his mom's ice cream shop had to close, so they were doing experiments together. Arthur always figured Brain got his brains from his dad because he was a big name computer scientist for a top company, but it was really his mom. She just liked ice cream and service, and in fact, she was leading the charge on care kits for doctors and meal delivery for the area's school kids. Even Jane was grateful for the meals they got delivered every day mid-morning. It was a way to bring some normalcy to her children's lives, plus she didn't have to plan for lunch.

Ladonna was probably the most grateful. With so many mouths to feed, her parents were struggling. She was on the Zoom meeting too along with Bud and as many people as they could fit around the family's one laptop. A local charity group was working to help them now that her dad was deployed. The National Guard had been called up, which meant it was just their mom running things. At least their dad was getting paid, but it was scary. She didn't talk much on social media either.

Fern appeared on the meeting with her mom, who was stuck at home too now that the real estate business had tanked. Her dad was an essential worker for the hospital's IT department, so he wasn't there, but Doria was with her daughter every day. She knitted while watching Mr. Ratburn's slideshow about basic chemistry.

The screen next to her featured Jenna, who held a stuffed zebra close as she watched intently. Her parents were home all the time too, and she spent her time reading books. She had a book review blog that Fern helped her start, and they were trying to get the group interested in doing a book club thing. Now that the library was closed, they were having to find books online, which made it very hard seeing that some cost money. They were doing a classic from the public domain, but Arthur found it boring and didn't keep reading. Jane tried to encourage him, but even she couldn't get into the title so she let it slide. She was letting a lot of things slide, but so was everyone else.

In the bottom left corner was Alex, who was shirtless and staring at another screen. He was clearly gaming, but his mom wasn't keeping that close of an eye on him. She wanted him to do the lecture, but he could do whatever he wanted while he "watched."

The screen next to his had Maria. Arthur felt pretty bad for her. She had already missed class before schools shut down because she broke her arm, and now she was stuck at home in a large cast. At least she was able to get her surgery for her arm before the hospitals started cutting back, but she was lonely and found everything hard to do because she couldn't use her arm. Her mom, a local preschool teacher, worked beside her. She did daily crafts to share on her Instagram page. Jane followed it to show Kate, who was then expected to do the craft too, but DW and Jane usually did the craft while Kate tried to play dress-up instead.

They were all trying to get by. Arthur knew that times were different. For example, he knew George wasn't on Zoom because he was helping his dad make furniture, not that they had that many orders, but it was something to do to get by. His parents didn't say much, but he knew money was a problem. His mom's big time of the year was tax season, but that was derailed by things Arthur didn't understand. His dad's restaurant was closed, so if his friend's catering business got shut down, his dad would be out of work too. How would they eat and pay for the house? Were they going to be like the Compson family?

No one had any answers. Prunella had to stop answering messages because people kept asking her to predict when the Corona virus would be over. She didn't know because no one knew. It was scary, and Arthur didn't understand it. Grandma Thora thought it was just the flu. She and Mrs. MacGrady still visited each other's houses and tried to go to bingo and stores because they weren't worried at all.

"Everyone is making a big deal out of this. Let's get the kids back in school and stop this nonsense," Grandma Thora would say. David would politely agree, but Jane didn't want the kids talking to her. Vicita and her family were still going to the park every day, at least until the city put chains on the gate to force people to stay out, and that made her mad too.

Everyone was angry and scared. If Arthur had a write about the virus, he would say those were the real symptoms. Everyone was angry and scared, and people were attacking each other for no reason.

But he understood why people were so mad at Muffy. As the Zoom class ended, he knew he could go outside. As long as it was inside the fence, he could go there. Buster didn't have that, and Francine was stuck sharing a bedroom with her sister. Arthur only had to share an upstairs bathroom with his siblings, and if he had to go bad enough, he could use his mom and dad's. But Francine's apartment only had one bathroom. He didn't know if their windows could open either.

Everyone's situation was different, but was Muffy wrong for feeling bored too? When you're used to having your own movie theatre, game room, and giant walk-in closet, would you get bored? Arthur didn't know, but he knew one thing: staying out of it was his best bet.  
~End of Chapter 1


	2. The Essential Employees

She had bruises on her face. She wanted to use makeup to cover them, but that felt like such a waste. Would Binky and Mei-Lin really care what she looked like? They'd been asking to video chat for so long, but her morning shift started too early, and by the time she got done at night, it was too late. Now she was just going to record a video saying hi to send to them. Her coworkers said that was the best option. It was the least she could do.

They were all scared. Mrs. Barnes was one of the oldest nurses sharing the apartment they'd gotten together. Well, not "gotten together," but a younger nurse kicked out her non-essential housemates when things first got started. They all had places to go, so they left willingly. Then, one by one, she started approaching people to come live with her. She had five beds, but eight nurses and other hospital workers were living there now. They all had families they couldn't bring the virus home to. One had a new baby, the other an elderly parents, but most were like Mrs. Barnes, who had to step away from an established family.

She didn't know if she'd go home again, and she didn't know if she would get sick or not. Her job put her on the front lines. Tests were slow to come back, so they just assumed everyone was sick. Well, that was what the others said. Mrs. Barnes knew her patients were testing positive. That's why they were in the ICU in the first place, and several would never leave.

It was gut-wrenching, and she worried about the others on the front lines. She was medical. She knew how to wash her hands and use what little equipment she could to protect herself. But what about factory workers and cashiers and everyone else?

Across town, Brain's mother went to her ice cream shop, but the shop wasn't open for business. When they closed to follow local guidelines, she knew she had to step up and do something for the community. So she started helping a local food bank get food. Today was a supply run day. It made her miserable going on these runs, but she knew the people she was buying food for would need it.

In her back supply room under lock and key, Mrs. Powers put together the kits. Then she alone loaded her van and took them over to the food bank. As she drove, she thought of Mrs. MacGrady trying to hug her at the store. She was one of many who thought this was all a hoax, that everyone was making a big deal out of everything. Mrs. Powers didn't get it. Was she in denial? A local nursing home was hit hard, so she had to know someone there who had died. They played bingo together and everything. How could she be so nonchalant? Other people realized their mistake and went, "Oh, sorry, I forgot," but not Mrs. MacGrady. She seemed miffed by the whole thing. How dare people not greet her. Nothing was wrong.

It made Mrs. Powers sick to her stomach. This whole thing did, but at least she was helping. She wasn't essential, so she knew her good deeds might have to stop soon, but at least she was trying.

Ed Crosswire noticed the van go by and shook his head. He didn't want to keep his dealership open, so he was the only one working. He went from only being a salesperson to running the store. He now knew how to send and receive faxes and work the main computer. He wasn't allowing much, but he was trying to help people any way that he could. That meant being the only one to work, and that meant waiving payments too. He was trying to think of an ad campaign, but nothing was suitable. This wasn't the time to be buying and selling cars. Any day now, the city would shut down completely, and he would be at home. At least he wasn't working with the public.

A few blocks away, Slink's mother dressed in her Walmart uniform and headed out. She always made sure to speak to her son before she left. People were getting crazy. A few towns over, an employee with allergies had a customer pull a gun on her in the parking lot for sneezing. It took some passing customers to save her, and the police did arrest the guy for making terroristic threats and pulling a gun on her, but what if he wasn't a good listener? People were going nuts.

She knew it was a matter of time before her work got her sick. They weren't allowed to truly miss work for being sick. That's what the corporate website said, and people said the district manager was that way, but it was the store manager deciding who worked and who didn't. They didn't mind picking and choosing. How else could their workers pay rent? Landlords weren't letting up, so work was the only option.

She was worried about making Slink sick too. He was loving this online school thing because he could skimp on work and play video games all day, but she knew it was a matter of time before he touched her dirty clothes in the bathroom hamper or went into the garage and touched her work shoes. She was trying so hard to be careful, but she was essential. Someone had to ring out the customers, and that was her job.

She was grateful for people like Jane Read, who came through her line a few days before. She was organized and did her best to minimize contact, plus she was using hand sanitzer and trying to be as clean as possible. Slink's mom didn't realize that Jane was suffering from major anxiety.

Jane started having anxiety and germaphobia in school, but she was able to get it under control with therapy and behavior techniques. In fact, she hadn't gone to a therapist in years because her symptoms were under control. Now that the pandemic had struck, Jane's symptoms were out of control. She couldn't sleep at night knowing her filing cabinet was full of germs. She had to do tax work from home. Even though the deadline had been extended, people were still doing their taxes now that they had time at home. But some had to send her paperwork, and that paper drove her mad.

The kids caused most of her worry. They hadn't left the house since everything started, but David had to go out every day to work. He was sometimes in the kitchen, but he also worked with the public when he had to. He was on the front lines the day before, working in the hospital parking lot serving hot lunches for free for anyone who wanted to come down. This terrified Jane so much that she had her first panic attack in years, thankfully alone in her room so that no one would know.

Her kids didn't know her like that, and David thought she was cured. Plus he was a little preoccupied. He tried to make it look like he didn't care, but secretly he wanted to punch anyone still using cash, and he couldn't believe the amount of people still shaking hands and standing close, even when he went to the hospital. It was causing him to lose sleep too, but not as much as Jane. She was barely sleeping at all.

Jane wanted to contact her old therapy office and see about medication. Behavior techniques were out the window now that the world was so messed up. She needed something more. But could she even go to a pharmacy? Could she trust that her medicine wasn't contaminated? It was a tough decision, but she had her kids on her mind. They needed their mom. Yes, she was keeping them safe, but how long would it be before she went to far? She had to make an appointment and actually keep it.

A few blocks away, Neal Lundgren was struggling. He was still making some furniture, but orders had slowed. He was currently making new tables for The Sugar Bowl. Carl had closed the business entirely until things settled down, but he wanted to do a remodel. Neal had woodworking skills, but he was a skilled welder too. George watched as his dad put the finishing touches on a brand new table. Carl wanted him to pull out all the stops, and Neal was enjoying the work.

But what would happen when that order was filled? He knew their bank would want a mortgage payment no matter what. His wife was fulfilling her office duties from home, but would her paycheck be enough? Neal worried about George, but he seemed to be handling things okay. He was freaked out, but what kid wouldn't be? George had plenty of friends that he couldn't see anymore because of the shutdowns, plus everything else was different too. If they had to cut back food or other expenses, how would he handle it?

Across town, Carl's tutor arrived at his house. Her center had closed, but her special needs students still needed assistance. She spent her morning with Marina Datillo helping her with her online assignments. Mrs. Datillo was working to get them to be more accessible, but upgrades were slow in coming otherwise Marina could do the work on her own.

Carl was a different story. Her autistic students were struggling considerably due to the changes. Carl always visited the library on Thursdays after their afternoon meeting, but now the library was closed. His mom allowed the tutor to bring books, but it wasn't the same. Carl had already established a new schedule, but that was for things he did daily, not the things he did weekly or every few weeks. They thought of having her come daily, but that was too much for Carl, so she maintained her weekly meetings.

Today was better. Carl was also having accessibility issues with his online coursework, but the school was trying to work on his issues too. The tutor helped him prioritize assignments to help him, but it was hard. He was upset about an upcoming yearly event he was going to miss, a trip to the museum. The tutor recommended they do his favorite exhibits at home, but Carl hadn't decided yet. It just wasn't the same, but what was worse, not going or it not being right?

Being an essential tutor was scary. Her friend was a home nurse, and both had people thrust thermometers at them whenever they arrived. People were scared to let people into their homes. One of the tutor's older students had a plumbing issue, and they went without a second bathroom for a week out of fear. With seven kids, they quickly realized this was insane and just called the plumber, but the tutor told them they were right to be scared. She didn't know if that was true or not, but it made them feel better.

Everyone was struggling. The people at home were growing more and more bored, and the essential people out working were getting more and more scared as things changed by the day. How bad would things be tomorrow? Will they ever get better? No one knew.

As the tutor went home, she passed a house with blazing Christmas lights at five p.m. She laughed. Carl would be upset if he saw the house. He made his mom put up their lights and take them down on specific dates. Christmas lights when it was almost Easter would be too much, but she wouldn't tell him. Secretly she enjoyed them. It was a bright spot on an otherwise dark world.  
~End Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'll probably update this once things have changed more or once I get some suggestions. I feel like I've covered everyone I wanted to talk about for now.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Did I forget anyone that's Arthur's age? I feel like I'm missing someone. I plan on covering the adults in another chapter, so if I missed some parents, that's okay. Feel free to ask if you want someone covered. Characters I plan to include: Carl and Marina, the Sugar Bowl owner and other business owners, and the Crosswire's.
> 
> Also, what do you think? How would your favorite Arthur characters react to this pandemic craziness? Let me know in the reviews.


End file.
